The Board of Trustees, Advisory Council, staff, and members of the 2013 Gala Committee would like to thank the entire GSWA community for helping us make this year's gala fundraiser such a success!

We had great fun celebrating all of the organization's past board chairs, and we achieved our fundraising goals for the evening.

The 2013 Silent Auction, held in conjunction with the gala, exceeded all of our expectations. We are excited to know that so many people enjoyed the new experience of online bidding!

We will have more information to share about the 2013 gala in weeks to come. In the meantime, GSWA sincerely thanks this year's gala underwriters for their generous support of this event. Those underwriters were--

Gold Underwriter - PSEG

Underwriter - Peapack-Gladstone Bank

You get our electronic enewsletters each month, but did you know that we publish a larger and longer periodical twice each year? That's right, the latest full edition of Across the Watershed is out, and if you haven't seen it in your mailbox, you can pick up a PDF copy at GreatSwamp.org.

Stories in the Fall/Winter 2013 installment continue our exploration of moths in the Great Swamp Watershed, provide the inside scoop on the State of the Streams in our regions, and remind you about the silent killer known as radon. Don't forget that the print edition lists all of our fall events through the end of December too!

Click here to download your copy right now.

With Halloween right around the corner, is there a better time to visit a spooky swamp where owls hoot and coyotes cry?

On Friday, October 25, the Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) will lead a series of Spooky Swamp Walks through its 53-acre Conservation Management Area (CMA) in Harding Township, NJ.

Come in costume or come as you are to this outdoor celebration of all things that go bump in the Great Swamp at night!

Little or big, all of the ghosts, ghouls, goblins, and witches who appear will be led on a special night-time tour of the darkest corners, eeriest boardwalks, and blackest recesses of GSWA's own small corner of Great Swamp. Expect lots of fun and lots of surprises as you trek through forest and marsh after sunset.

Costumes are encouraged! But, keep in mind that sturdy footwear and a jacket are recommended for this event.

Walks begin at the CMA entrance located at 1 Tiger Lily Lane, Morristown, NJ. Groups of 15 to 18 people will be led into the swamp every 15 minutes from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. The last tour leaves at 8:00 p.m. Cider, snacks, photo opportunities, Halloween music, and decorations will entertain those waiting to go on walks. Wait times will vary based on participation volume.

All participants are asked to make a donation of $10/adult or $5/ child (6 to 17 years) to the Great Swamp Watershed Association. No donation for children 5 and under. Donations may be made online or at the gate.

In July, after many years of study and debate, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began oversight of a $20 million dredge-and-cap project along the Lower Passaic River in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. The work will remove approximately 20,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from a short stretch of river adjacent to Riverside County Park. On August 7, GSWA Executive Director Sally Rubin attended a press conference intended to mark the start of dredging and introduce the project timeline to media representatives and the general public.

A long legacy of industrial pollution has rendered the Lower Passaic unswimmable, unfishable, and unlivable by most standards. In fact, in 1984, the overwhelming presence of hazardous substances in and below the water led the EPA to list 17 miles of the river-from Dundee Dam near Garfield to Newark Bay-as part of the Diamond Alkali Superfund site.

The site takes its name from...Continue Reading

Finish reading this article on our blog!

Things were really hopping on September 8 at GSWA's Back-to-Swamp hike! Toads, frogs, and toadstools seemed to be in unlimited supply at our Conservation Management Area (CMA) in Harding Township. Our tour guide, Director of Education and Outreach Hazel England, scrambled to corral and examine more than half-a-dozen wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) and American toads (Buffo americanus). And, although it eluded capture, the American toad caught on camera here was kind enough to pose for several wobbly snaps before the photographer came up with something halfway decent. Wet conditions also meant that mushrooms were out in force along the CMA trails. The aroma of fungi was quite pronounced all morning long!

From NJ.com/StarLedger: Reporter Justin Zaremba reminds you to attend all of GSWA's Breakfast Briefing events scheduled for the fall season. Don't forget that the first briefing is on October 15! Read the Article

In This Issue

Do you think we're doing a good job of protecting the waters and the land of the Great Swamp Watershed? If so, then please help us continue our work by sending in your gift of support right now!

Help GSWA maintain vegetated pond buffers planted in 2011 around Harding Township's Bayne Pond. Work includes preparing the buffers for winter by weeding, spreading mulch, and repairing deer and goose fencing. Runs from 9AM to Noon at Bayne Park off Blue Mill Rd., Harding Township.
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Is there anything we can do about the many problems New Jersey has with its water resources? Yes! It's a process called disconnecting, and it works because it directly addresses the problem of stormwater runoff--the biggest contributor to flooding and water pollution statewide. Dr. Chris Obropta of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Cooperative Extension visits to tell us more about disconnecting. Starts at 8AM at GSWA offices, 568 Tempe Wick Rd., Morristown.
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Come in costume or come as you are to this outdoor celebration of all things that go bump in the Great Swamp at night! Is there a troll under that bridge? A wild, swamp man in the trees? A demon dog on the loose?
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